Injury stories thread

[Luna]

I would've found a way to clear-coat it so the blood was permanent!

[ZequarX]

I decided to go reverse grip the other day and received my 1st injury, lol. I was attempting a quick horizontal slash and then flipping the saber around as quick as I could to slash back the other way and whacked my head with the pommel of my Liberator.... OW!

[Master Lucien Kane]

I decided to go reverse grip the other day and received my 1st injury, lol. I was attempting a quick horizontal slash and then flipping the saber around as quick as I could to slash back the other way and whacked my head with the pommel of my Liberator.... OW!

We've all done it at some point and time!

[Stiletto]

Yay, I win. I've had minor nicks and scrapes, bruised knuckle, minor irritating wrist issues, but this took the cake.

I had a choreographed fight that ended with me falling to my knees. My character was a Light Jedi heading towards becoming a Dark Jedi, fighting an agent of the Dark Side. We practiced it for at least 3 months straight, one day a week, multiple multiple times that day until it was solid. Most of the time during practice, I wouldn't take the fall. Towards the end of the 3 months, I'd start wearing volleyball kneepads and taking the fall.

Then we premiered the fight at the convention we were headed to. I performed it wearing kneepads under my costume, lost as usual, took the fall. I wore them the rest of the weekend. We had a children's Padawan Academy, which actually involved more than a few pratfalls. By the end of the weekend I was sore.

All week after the weekend I knew something wasn't right - knees and elbows felt weird. (Meanwhile, my Blazing Red UltraSabers Phantom (v1) staff arrives to replace my SRD UltraSabers Steel Stunt.)

Is it any surprise that at our club's next practice that Friday, I dislocated my right kneecap simply by standing in horse stance and circling my opponent? And then it shattered as it contorted and twisted while my 200 lb. body fell on it.

Now, I'll admit - I'm in my early thirties, plus I've always had some physical issues that could leave me prone to weird events like this. Still - my first experience with that level of injury.

It required surgery, then I had rehab for about three months, and a six inch scar. All the folks at work asked what happened and, well, I explained. A week or two after rehab was done, I headed back to practice. The knee hasn't quite been the same since but I've dealt with it well.

About 2.5 years after all that, I'm still going.

My character is Sith now.

And in January, I bought this T-shrt.


*rimshot*

- Stiletto

[Master Lucien Kane]

Boom! Wow, that is crazy. Wear better kneepads next time lol.

[Goldleader]

This topic has been dead for awhile but i feel i have a story that will prove worthy of a revival...


This was months back, before the times of safety equipment, but I was dueling my 'best friend' he has one saber and I had my staff. so he eventually caught on that my attacks were involved both blades, one to distract him while the other would attack from an angle only staffs have the luxary of
well.. long story short, he ducked to dodge at a horizontal strike at his head, and succeeded! however, I spun and did a reverse thrust intended for his torso but he ducked.. and my blade gave a big blazing red hello! to his eye

it bled and looked quite scary. but it healed and no ER trips had to be made. it was just a freak accident. needless to say, this is why we now where paintball masks! ironically, the next night, he wanted to go out and saber again.

[Eiyame]

Lets see....first and only dueling match so far with husband

Husband

Two hits to right side of face near temple
a few finger shots

Me
Finger shots
one hit to the face
and a really nasty hit on one figure that left it bruised for a few days

Thankfully we both wear glasses so we already have some basic eye protection. After a few hand shots we both put on gloves.

[Master Lucien Kane]

I forgot... I got 4 stitches on my left eyebrow from someone throwing a lightsaber at me while I was walking away... when I turned around the hilt was right there.

Shattered my glasses and cut my eyebrow pretty bad. Healed up within a week.

[Darth Nonymous]

Lets see....first and only dueling match so far with husband

Husband

Two hits to right side of face near temple
a few finger shots

Me
Finger shots
one hit to the face
and a really nasty hit on one figure that left it bruised for a few days

Thankfully we both wear glasses so we already have some basic eye protection. After a few hand shots we both put on gloves.

OMG. Please put on gear.

[Eiyame]

OMG. Please put on gear.

Nonymous,

I fence and my husband does kendo. I think both of us can handle a blade well enough to not kill each other. After all these sabers not no more dangerous than the live blades we use.

Our main problem was; new sabers, not used to the weight, and it was really hot that day so my hands wear slipping on my libby, and I normally use a 32" blade not a 34"

Thus the gloves; I think underarmour baseball gloves will give me enough grip not to wing my libby.

Hopefully my shock will be more gripy.

[Nhylus]

I'd say for just messing around and not really striking hard, I wouldn't wear gear. However, I also wouldn't wear gear in a realistic duel setting. Whether its with bokken (Kenjutsu, not Kendo) or a lightsaber.
Getting hit and feeling the pain, I feel, can help create muscle memory and work sort of like "shock therapy". Avoiding the blade should become 2nd nature in my opinion and I believe simple pain memory can help that (However, not saying to just stand there and get hit a bunch of times, obviously haha). Which would attribute to fighting against a live blade. After all, bokken were created so that all a student of Kenjutsu would suffer is a nasty bruise as opposed to a lost limb.

Of course though, watching StarWars enough as a kid, does embed the ideal that a touch from a lightsaber anywhere is an automatic loss haha.

I'd wear gear if it was say... competition style dueling. Not made to be realistic, and more serious than just joking around in the backyard.

Of course to each his own. And anyone not using gear has no one to blame for injury other than oneself.

[Darth Nonymous]

Nonymous,

I fence and my husband does kendo. I think both of us can handle a blade well enough to not kill each other. After all these sabers not no more dangerous than the live blades we use.

Our main problem was; new sabers, not used to the weight, and it was really hot that day so my hands wear slipping on my libby, and I normally use a 32" blade not a 34"

Thus the gloves; I think underarmour baseball gloves will give me enough grip not to wing my libby.

Hopefully my shock will be more gripy.

I understand the thought and forgive me for being persnickety...but...

You should use your Kendo and fencing masks. Baseball gloves provide little to no protection. Street hockey gloves are often cheaper and are way better.

I understand you guys have experience and feel you have good control, but you still got each other in the head and face. Control is not the issue. We have been doing it for almost a decade and we still whack each other well enough to loose and eye and screw up the throat. There is a reason that you have head gear in those sports.

I'd say for just messing around and not really striking hard, I wouldn't wear gear. However, I also wouldn't wear gear in a realistic duel setting. Whether its with bokken (Kenjutsu, not Kendo) or a lightsaber.

as a martial art instructor, injury specialist, and practitioner of these arts, I cannot endorse this view for anyone. Sorry.

Getting hit and feeling the pain, I feel, can help create muscle memory and work sort of like "shock therapy". Avoiding the blade should become 2nd nature in my opinion and I believe simple pain memory can help that (However, not saying to just stand there and get hit a bunch of times, obviously haha). Which would attribute to fighting against a live blade. After all, bokken were created so that all a student of Kenjutsu would suffer is a nasty bruise as opposed to a lost limb.

This is a common myth. Pain and injury actually make your body slow down and anticipate such hits. The only nueorlgoical patterning that is happening (muscle memory) during the injury are compensations to help you ignore it long enough to get to safety, or re-routing muscle function to avoid the damaged area. Either one make you less physical fit, less adaptable, and less effective in combat. Also, the subconscious fear of getting hit will slow your stikes down, make you less bold, and allow you to ignore techniques that you would have gone for if you wear armored.

Of course though, watching StarWars enough as a kid, does embed the ideal that a touch from a lightsaber anywhere is an automatic loss haha.

I'd wear gear if it was say... competition style dueling. Not made to be realistic, and more serious than just joking around in the backyard.

Of course to each his own. And anyone not using gear has no one to blame for injury other than oneself.

I still don't understand this aversion to armor. Modern armor is so light you can hardly feel it and can be made to look like anything. Star Wars is replete with armor and cool stuff like that. But everyone insists and fighting naked.

If you have the gear, please use it. Pride in injury is not going to build skill.

[Nhylus]

Well as far as anything with fear of getting hit. Fear is natural and healthy (in moderation, as with everything) in combat, or anything that matter. As a practitioner of singing and musicianship, I would be worried if I was not slightly afraid or nervous before getting on that stage. I am not the greatest combat specialist, infact no where even close. I did take taekwondo for years when I was younger, but no where near an instructor. I did participate in tons of sparring though. Anyway I do appreciate the wisdom you are offering me given the many more years experience you probably have over me. But I simply feel that some fear is necessary, because being too bold can get you just as easily killed as being too afraid of a strike. Fear is a necessary survival instinct. Often we only fear what we don't understand or what we attribute negative things to. I am not saying its more appropriate to not wear armor. I am merely expressing that it may not just be everyone's slice of bread. And of course, like I said before, if oneself gets injured, it's oneself's fault.

And if you want to get down to the very end of it. let's say in the super-likely scenario that a swordsman attacks my home and its a one vs one battle. While it may be beneficial to wear some actual armor, as in today's toughest cut resistant armor. It would only protect against the lightest of scrapes. With or without that armor, any opening I leave for that swordsman to take, I am a dead man. I would trust my reflexes and techniques more than the armor (or the sword) to protect me. And personally to me (I may be some freak show), but kinda at the end of 300 (not that I take advice from a movie..haha) where Leonidas is bothered by his helmet and his shield so he drops both in order to become 100% in sync with his surroundings in order to focus to his whole potential. That's how I am with armor. I feel restricted, insecure, unfocused. I feel I have to feel the environment. Which is a common practice for parkour runners. While its much better for them to wear some shoes with good protective soles in them, many do not so they can feel the ground beneath them. They rely on good technique to avoid injury.

I want to say again though. I am not endorsing or promoting not wearing armor. But merely presenting a defensive standpoint for those who simply do not want to go all out and wear Kendo or hockey gear while pretending to be jedi/sith. And maybe I have been lucky throughout the years playing with lightsabers and the likes, but I have never had a severe (probably not anything worse that a small bruise either) injury.

I appreciate everything you are saying, don't get me wrong. I think your lessons for TPLA videos are awesome. I'm just stating that I feel I am accepting the fact I can be injured, simply by holding a weapon. As anyone who holds a weapon should be prepared to use it and are automatically agreeing to a risk. And trust me, I believe very firmly everybody should at the very least listen to the advice you give. I am not at all giving advice or advocating anything to anyone. Merely presenting my personal feelings on armor.

[Master Nero Attoru]

I have to agree with Master Nonymous - protective gear is an excellent idea when you swing these things around.  I realize not everyone goes all out, and that's fine... but it's definitely better safe than sorry.  I've seen someone get their tooth knocked out by one of these things, and that was during a very casual sparring session between two skilled swordsmen.  I don't really wanna think about what it could do to something like an eye...

[Darth Nonymous]

Well as far as anything with fear of getting hit. Fear is a natural and healthy (in moderation, as with everything) in combat, or anything for one. I am not the greatest combat specialist. I did take taekwondo for years when I was younger, but no where near an instructor. I did participate in tons of sparring though. Anyway I do appreciate the wisdom you are offering me given the many more years experience you probably have over me. But I simply feel that some fear is necessary, because being too bold can get you just as easily killed as being too afraid of a strike. Fear is a necessary survival instinct. Often we only fear what we don't understand or what we attribute negative things to. I am not saying its more appropriate to not wear armor. I am merely expressing that it may not just be everyone's slice of bread. And of course, like I said before, if oneself gets injured, it's oneself's fault.

And if you want to get down to the very end of it. let's say in the super-likely scenario that a swordsman attacks my home and its a one vs one battle. While it may be beneficial to wear some actual armor, as in today's toughest cut resistant armor. It would only protect against the lightest of scrapes. With or without that armor, any opening I leave for that swordsman to take, I am a dead man. I would trust my reflexes and techniques more than the armor (or the sword) to protect me.

I want to say again though. I am not endorsing or promoting not wearing armor. But merely presenting a defensive standpoint for those who simply do not want to go all out and wear Kendo or hockey gear while pretending to be jedi/sith. And maybe I have been lucky throughout the years playing with lightsabers and the likes, but I have never had a severe (probably not anything worse that a small bruise either) injury.

I appreciate everything you are saying, don't get me wrong. I think your lessons for TPLA videos are awesome. I'm just stating that I feel I am accepting the fact I can be injured, simply by holding a weapon. As anyone who holds a weapon should be prepared to use it and are automatically agreeing to a risk.

Well, as you can imagine, I could not disagree more.

I am not referring to "fear" as in "I hope I don't get injured". I am talking about unconscious choices the body makes when it knows it is not protected and not in real danger. The practice of sparring without armor actually decreases the realism of the encounter. Without the visceral amperage you would get in a real life and death scenario, the unconscious efforts you will make to avoid serious injury in your opponent or yourself will make the practice little more than children playing with sticks.

Yes, the Samurai did practice with bokken, but they also practiced in armor. They swam in their armor. Obviously, these are anachronistic skills now, but the use of protective gear enhances the realism of the techniques and strategy used in the exercise. Every major weapon tradition has a form of weapon analog to allow more realistic practice in sparring. From bokken to federschwert practice weapons approximate real weight and feel with less risk of injury. Fencing jackets and kendo armor go back centuries as well and there are hundreds of examples of protective gear used for training from all over and with every weapon.

Like wearing a seat belt, helmet, or mouth guard, it just makes sense. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

And there is absolutely zero to be gained from practicing unprotected. It can easily be demonstrated through mere biological processes that it would inevitably lead to less benefits in combat. Slower speed, incomplete extension, and unrealistic unguarded areas are all hallmarks of this training.  It isn't really a matter of opinion.

Facts and data are fairly conclusive: It leads to less skill, not more.